The Crimson Crier
The go to periodical for all the recent goings on in the Realm and beyond! Fears grow of possible 'Prexit' There are real fears growing amongst some in the capital that the Duchy of Prayer will seek to leave the Realm. 'Prexit', as its supporters have dubbed it, has been steadily gaining momentum in recent months following the events in neighboring Thelland and the fallout from those events. Increased numbers of refugees fleeing the destruction of Minnongate or fearing that their town may be next have been crossing the border and settling in Prayer. According to some local lords, this increased level of immigration has lead to overcrowding in towns and cities. They claim this has meant waiting times to get an appointment with the herbalists have gone up, locals are struggling to find places to live while increased numbers have lead to increased competition for jobs. others have started to make additional arguments, claiming that Prayer pays around GP350,000 per week in levies and tythes to the capital of the Realm, enough to train new herbalists for all the towns in Prayer and build accommodation for them. They argue that leaving would enable them to 'take back control' of this money and their borders. However, not all in Prayer are in favour. Some are concerned about the effect that leaving the Realm will have on the economy and security. They argue that leaving the Realm could make it more difficult or expensive to trade with the remaining duchies if the remaining members of the Realm sought to impose higher tariffs on non-Realm imports. They point to the higher levels of import taxes already paid by shipments brought into the Realm from the Western Lands as an example. Further, they are worried that leaving the Realm would mean that they would no longer benefit from the increased security that the army of the Realm brings. Those in favour of remaining in the Realm have said it would be a serious risk to leave and lose that protection in light of recent events. Others adopted a more idealistic view. One local Lord, who asked not to be named, said that the formation of the Realm had brought to an end centuries of war between rival nations and had seen stability and a level of peace hitherto unknown. 'Now we live in a Realm where disagreements are solved by working together, by diplomacy and trade' he said. CENTRAL BANK THEFTS In a recent interview with a Anonymous Noble suggests that items have recently disappeared from Modens Central Bank “ I pay a premium for the safest vault in the realm, only for my family’s heirloom to disappear without trace. I know of at least three other lords who have had things stolen”. We reached out to Moden Central bank but they declined to comment. Security Tightened Readers have noticed that security has recently been increased at the Dukes Keep. A spoke person for the Keep stated “ The recent increase in security Is part of the Dukes ongoing security review within Moden”. Wanted for Crimes Against The Realm Murder in Modan! (Almost) The big news this week are the rumours emanating from Duke Rygal's castle that an attempt was made on the life of the Elven Ambassador, Fyril Eldermantle, while he was at the castle to negotiate a treaty between Thelland and Allahorn. The treaty, meant to form the basis of a stronger relationship between Thelland and the Elven kingdom, has been signed according to our sources inside the Castle. However, when we reached out to Duke Rygal's staff for comment they responded by stating that 'the treaty has been signed and Fyril Eldermantle is on his way back to Allahorn, very much alive. Beyond that, the duke does not comment on rumours and speculation as to what may have occured during his stay'. Requests for updates on the whereabouts of Seneschal Roberts, who has not been seen since Fyril left the city, were also met with a firm 'no comment'. All of the above serves only to add to the sense of uncertainty and unease in the city following eyewitness reports of a brawl between a misfit band of apparent adventurers and some hooded rogues in one of the cities main squares. This same group was, according to one witness we spoke to, asking around the various smiths of the city earlier in the day, brandishing a royal writ and asking all manner of unusual questions. The same group were also known to be staying at the castle but despite our best efforts we were unable to track any of them down for comment. Refugee Crisis on the Western Coast The Council of Cairnview have called an emergency session to discuss the best way of dealing with the escalating refugee crisis on the western coast. The destruction of Minnongate has meant that many of the ships sailing across from the Western Lands have been redirected there. The increased traffic through the port of trade cargo and passengers allied with the influx of refugees who fled Minnongate has placed intense pressure on the towns resources. Concerns are already rising of overcrowding and disease. There are also fears that if the situation is not resolved before winter, there may not be enough food to feed everyone. One local, who did not want to be named, said "It's not exactly been a bumper season for crops this year. We probably had enough to feed ourselves and see us through winter but with all these refugees in town, reserves might not last until Autumn!' The town council have refuted such claims saying they are 'overstating the problem'. Trade with Allahorn open for the first time After a treaty signed by Duke Rygal of Modan and Fyril Eldermantle of Allahorn there will finally be trade between the elves and people of Thelland. Some tradegoods have started trickling in but at extortionate prices. Merchants claim that due to the dangers of the journey through Allahorn the prices are more than fair but at 50 gold pieces for a roll of fabric or 15 goldpieces for a bottle of Gyrae wine only the wealthiest of consumers have yet to sample any of the goods. Destruction of Minnongate leads to spike in alleged Dragon sightings Following the destruction of Minnongate, reports have been coming in from all over the duchy of alleged dragon sightings. Experts have played down peoples' fears claiming that the vast majority if not all of them are likely to be mistaken sightings or, at worst, Wyverns with lairs in the mountains. One prominent Draconologist we spoke to suggested that it was 'extremely unlikely' that two dragons would lair so close to one another and that the probability of such a thing was 'approximately 3720 to 1'. Farmers fury in Wildrun Farmers in the northern town of Wildrun blockaded the town granary earlier this week in a protest over the price of grain. The blockade is the latest move in a growing dispute between farmers and local millers after the farmers claimed that they could not support their families on the money they were being paid per sack. Millers have blamed the falling price of grain on the saturation of the grain market across the Realm and the resultant fall in the value of grain per sack.